noun
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a person who threshes
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short for threshing machine
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Also called: thrasher, thresher shark. any of various large sharks of the genus Alopias, esp A. vulpinus, occurring in tropical and temperate seas: family Alopiidae. They have a very long whiplike tail with which they are thought to round up the small fish on which they feed
Etymology
Origin of thresher
First recorded in 1350–1400, thresher is from the Middle English word thressher. See thresh, -er 1
Explanation
A machine or tool used for separating seeds from a grain can be called a thresher. The mechanical thresher was invented in the 18th century. Threshers have simplified the work of agriculture, automating a job that humans once spent tedious hours doing. A combine is an even more efficient machine, combining a thresher and a harvester—it picks the grain and separates its seeds. A scythe is a curved knife used for hand threshing, and the thresher shark gets its name from a resemblance to this tool.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We’re not talking about a loom, a thresher, or a bolt-turning robot.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
Its rice was a finicky crop that sprouts slow, skinny and tall, with fewer grains per bunch, and heads that can sag below the reach of the thresher and end up in the mud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2024
And while thresher sharks, with their unique appearance and behavior, make for flashy research subjects, Ms. Knaub notes, their exaggerated features help shed light on how more “normal” sharks’ bodies work, too.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
Essentially, thresher shark vertebral column is fortified along its length and might work like a catapult, allowing the tail to launch over the head.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024
“Looks like a swordfish and a thresher shark,” says Captain Smith.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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